Three candidates expect to run unopposed

Friday

EAGLE LAKE - Two city commissioners have filed paperwork to run for the Eagle Lake City Commission while an outgoing commissioner has endorsed a candidate for another seat.

EAGLE LAKE - Two city commissioners have filed paperwork to run for the Eagle Lake City Commission while an outgoing commissioner has endorsed a candidate for another seat.

Commissioners Angela Volz and Andrew Powers will run for their respective seats, Seat 1 and Seat 3, in the April 3 election.

But Commissioner Wanda Petranick said she will not run for re-election. Instead, she is endorsing Corey Coler for Seat 5.

Coler, 31, a recent appointee to the Community Redevelopment Agency board who was a finalist for an appointment to Seat 3 last summer, filed paperwork Monday for the seat at Petranick's request.

"It's because he's young and energetic and he's new to the scene," Petranick said. "I think the city needs some younger people's input and perspective.

"I want to travel some and be out of town, and (being a commissioner has) been restrictive as to how much I can travel and stay with my grandchildren."

Petranick, 66, served a total of three years on the commission, first as an appointee to Seat 4, before losing to current Mayor J.R. Sullivan in a coin toss after the election ended in a tie in 2009. She then ran unopposed for her current seat a year later.

Volz, 51, has served 10 years on the commission with a year break between losing her seat after one two-year term and then being elected to a new seat the next year. Volz is a lab technician for the Health Department.

Powers, 24, was appointed to the seat held by former Commissioner Sherry Henry on Aug. 15 after she resigned because her family was relocating.

Powers owns a commercial fish processing company and has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of South Florida Polytechnic.

Coler is a software consultant for Reynolds and Reynolds in Tampa, which develops software and business forms for car dealerships.

All three commission candidates said they expected to run unopposed.

"I believe it's because of the cohesiveness up at the dais," Sullivan said.

All three of the seats up for election this year were unchallenged in 2010. Qualifying for the election will run until noon Feb. 17.

news@newschief.com

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